Essential Information - Lhasa to Kathmandu

Before booking please check the status of the trip you are joining. We do not advise you to book flights until a trip is confirmed to run.

• There is a 5% booking incentive discount for all "Available" and "Available 2 More To Guarantee" tours. To confirm your place on a tour please make the deposit payment. Your deposit payment is fully refundable at any stage before the tour shows as "Guaranteed". Your final balance is payable no later than 56 days before the trip start date.
  
  On booking your trip you are agreeing to our booking conditions. Please read them fully via the link here. For each holiday a minimum number of participants is required to enable it to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed'. You can check the trip status for each departure on our ‘Dates and Prices’ page. Other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not cancel a trip once it has reached guaranteed status and so you are free to proceed with your international flight booking and other travel arrangements. 

  Guaranteed Limited - trips are open for booking and confirmed to run but have a limited number of spaces available.
  
  Guaranteed - trips are open for booking and confirmed to run.
  
  Available 2 More To Guarantee - trips are open for booking but not yet confirmed. 2 more bookings will guarantee the running of this tour.
  
  Available - trips are open for booking but not yet confirmed.
  
  Contact - If you would like to book this tour, please contact us.
  Fully Booked - trips now closed for booking.

• Support vehicle
• Accommodation
• Most meals (see trip notes for details)
• Snacks and mineral water during cycling days
• Airport transfers on the start and end day of the tour
• Local professional English speaking guide(s)
• Lhasa - Katmandu cycle top

• International flights
• Alcoholic drinks
• Meals not stated on the itinerary
• Visa fees
• Travel insurance
• Tips for guide (s) and support staff
• Bike hire (available if required)
• Flight from kathmandu to Lhasa

The tour starts in Kathmandu. We appreciate that people join redspokes tours from all over the world and no matter what time you arrive at the airport on the tour start date, you and your luggage will be transferred to your hotel. Please bear in mind that if you arrive before midday you may have to wait for your room to be available. If you decide to arrive before this date redspokes can assist you in booking your accommodation and will organise a transfer to your hotel at an additional cost. Our holiday price does not include your international flight to Kathmandu, or your local flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa.

The tour ends in Kathmandu. Please feel free to book your flight for anytime on the departure day, as you will be staying in Kathmandu for the last night of the trip. Your transfer to the airport is included in the price with redspokes. If you decide to stay in Kathmandu beyond the last day of the tour redspokes can help you organise extra accommodation and transfers to the airport if needed.

If flying from the UK Gulf Air and Qatar Airways appear to be the favoured airlines by our customers. Check out www.expedia.com or www.opodo.co.uk for an idea of times and prices.

You will at all times have the security of a back-up vehicle; either a jeep or a bus. The vehicle will carry your luggage (we transport your main baggage by support vehicle from each overnight stop to the next) and yourself if you want. The backup van will be with us throughout the day stopping around every 12 miles (20 km).

Our leaders carry a good tool kit and will help to fix any bike problems so all you normally need to carry is a daypack, for your camera etc. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be equipped for all repairs, so if you are bringing your own bike on the tour you must ensure that it is in good working order. If in doubt, have it fully serviced by a bike shop before you travel.

If you wish to hire a bike or have a single room for the tour this can usually be arranged for you at extra cost. You will have the opportunity to request these extras at the time of booking or, subject to availability, at a later date, by emailing your request to us.

If you require additional accommodation or transfers in advance of the trip start date or at the end of your trip we can arrange this for you at extra cost.

We have a wide mix of cyclists on our tours from couples, friends to solo travellers. Our prices are based on twin shared accommodation. If you sign up for one of our tours as a solo traveller we will twin share you with another person of the same gender in your group. If you prefer to have your own room this is an option on most of our tours for an extra charge.

Most meals are included in your trip price apart from on non cycling days and some other exclusions. Please check the itinerary for full details. If you have a special dietary request, please advise us at the time of booking. Most diets can be catered for, but it is always important to advise us in advance.

All food is provided on tour, except in Kathmandu, Shigatse, Gyantse and Lhasa, where you will pay for your lunch and evening meal.  Food will be plentiful and nutritious, a variety of local and Western dishes will be provided.  Breakfast usually consists of a choice of muesli, porridge or cereal followed by eggs (omelette, fried or scrambled) with chapattis or bread.  Lunch is generally a selection of salad, cooked vegetable dishes, rice and traditional breads.  Dinner is a 3-course meal: soup followed by a variety of vegetable, meat, rice and pasta dishes and completed with a dessert.  

It is mandatory that you are well-insured for the full duration of the tour. This must include personal injury, medical expenses, death, repatriation, helicopter or aircraft rescue, loss of luggage or equipment, cancellation or curtailments.

You should also ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities included in your tour. Any claims concerning matters for which you are insured must be directed to your insurers. We strongly recommend that you take out insurance at the time of booking your trip to ensure that you are covered in the event of cancellation.

For people within the UK Snowcard Insurance Services specialize in all mountain sports holidays including mountain biking. Follow the link above to obtain full information and a quote.

We choose accommodation on the basis of comfort rather than luxury. Our prices are based on sharing a twin room. Should you wish to have a room all to yourself there is a single supplement option on the majority of our tours. For more information on the additional costs please see dates and prices.

The accommodation for this trip is in either  Camping, Guest House or Hotel.

Some rooms within the Hotels will have En-suite facilities and Air Conditioning.

For this tour we have Trek Excalibur and Marlin bikes in a range of sizes. They are mostly new for this season and all are well maintained bikes with Shimano components and suspension forks. Spare parts (tubes, tyre, chains etc.) are included in the price of the bike rental and will be carried in the support vehicle with a tool kit and track pump.

The bikes are equipped with flat pedals. Those who prefer to use spd or clip-in pedals, are welcome to bring these with you, along with your own cycling shoes and cleats. You are also welcome to bring your own saddle.

If you are able to do a simple repair yourself then you can if you wish take a small repair kit with you as this will avoid the need to wait for assistance should the team or support vehicle be any distance away. The bikes will come with one water bottle cage fitted. 

We strongly advise all customers to bring their own cycle helmet as this is not included as part of your bike hire and hire or purchase options at your destination cannot be guaranteed.  Please be aware that failure to wear a cycle helmet is at your own risk and might also affect the validity of your travel insurance. 

For this tour we recommend a tough mountain bike as they can take a hammering. Low geared: a 22-tooth granny cog on the front crank driving an 11-32/34 block on the back will do the trick. 
As there are some long days it is essential your saddle and riding position are set as comfortably as possible.

Front suspension will help with the washboard tracks and potholes, but it is not essential. Full-suspension is okay, but may be hard work on the tarmac stretches. If you have flat bars, fitting bar ends will give you a different hand position and help with the climbs. Touring bikes. The trip can be done on a traditional touring, but it is important to ensure it has got strong enough wheels, sufficiently wide tyres (37mm is about the minimum) and low enough gearing. It's worth investing in a pair of 36 spoke, hand-built wheels, using a good quality rim (e.g. Sun Rhyno, Mavic or Rigida).

The route is a mixture of good road, poorly maintained tarmac and very rough gravel tracks. The best tyre for the job is probably the Schwalbe Marathon XR. It's very tough and hardwearing, and has a decent tread for the gravel without being too knobbly for tarmac. 

We strongly recommend that you have your bike fully serviced before going on the tour. Ensure that wheel spokes are adjusted, grease all bearings, check gear and brake cables, tighten all nuts and bolts, check chain, quick release clamp and tyres. Put in new inner tubes and check wheel rims are not worn.

We recommend that you take the following items with you:

• Multi tool
• Tyre levers
  
• Pump
  
• Spare inner tubes
  
• Spare spokes
  
• Check with your bike shop for disc/ brake pads
  
• A few links for your chain
  
• Spares for unique features of your bike, eg. fluid or bleed kit.

Your bike must be carried as part of your luggage allowance. The weight of a bike in cardboard box is about 15-20kg, so please bear this in mind when packing for the trip - you may also have to pay an excess luggage charge.

Whilst we endeavour to provide correct and relevant information obtained directly from the relevant Embassies, High Commissions and Consulate Generals - this information is subject to frequent changes, without warning and at very short notice. Due to this, we cannot be held liable for any errors in the information provided on this site. We strongly advised you to check all information with the relevant embassy for details on your visa/passport requirements.

You must be in possession of a valid passport. A 30 day multi entry visa is required for Nepal, which can be obtained on arrival and costs $40US. All tourists visiting Tibet require a valid China visa and a special Aliens Travel Permit, which they can obtain only by joining tours organised by recognised travel agencies. redspokes will arrange your China visa and Tibet Travel Permit which can be collected and paid for in Kathmandu the cost is $100US to $185US depending on nationality. In order to do this we will need a copy of your passport at least 40 days prior to the tour.

Please ensure you check that all the details on the visa are correct prior to your departure.

We strongly recommend that you contact your doctor or local Travel Health Clinic at least 8 weeks before going on your trip for advise on the correct vaccinations required for your trip. Also please refer to advice from National Travel Health Network and Centre . 

There are no mandatory vaccinations for this trip, however the following are recommended Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Hepatitis.  

Vaccination requirements can change and we aren't medically qualified to answer your questions regarding vaccinations so please also check again with your health professional before departing for your trip.

The weather conditions are usually dry and clear.  Temperatures average 15-18 C in Lhasa. At altitude you will experience warm sunshine during the day but at night temperatures can drop as low as -15 C. Strong headwinds on the Tibetan plateau will make weather conditions cooler at times during the trip.

In terms of clothing this is clearly up to you and we can only supply a rough guide as to what to take. This guide is entirely flexible and should be tailored to your specific needs. 

• Cycle Helmet
• Fleece hat or mountain cap with earflaps
• Windproof hat that fits under your helmet (eg. Sealskin)
• Fingerless biking gloves
• Thermal inner gloves
• Warm Gloves
• Sunglasses
• Arm and knee warmers
• Jacket - Down /Puffer
• Wind/ waterproof cycling jacket (breathable fabric)
• Fleece
• T-shirts/long-sleeved
• Thermal tops
• Biking tops
• Cycling shorts
• Long cycle tights
• Thermal long pants
• Trousers light weight
• Socks
• Cycling footwear
• Boots
• Sun hat
• Buff
• 4 season sleeping bag

Personal First Aid

• Sun Screen
• Antiseptic cream
• Throat lozengers
• Anti-diarrhoea medicines - loperamide / Imodium
• Lip sun cream
• Painkillers
• Lip balm
• Plasters
• Rehydration salts

Miscellaneous

• Energy Bars (gels, power bars)
• Energy/recovery drinks
• Travel towel
• Head torch (LED)
• Spare batteries
• Camera
• spare passport photos

Tipping is an accepted part of everyday life, and although it is always at your discretion, you will be expected to tip to reward service. 45-75 USD for the guide and team at the end of the tour is recommended.

It is customary for this to be collected up and given to your guide who will distribute it amongst the team. Unfortunately there is usually a hierarchy for the division between guides, helpers and drivers.

Spending money depends on your taste for souvenirs, drinks etc. We estimate that £250 will be more than enough to cover the tour.

Altitude sickness is the effect of the thin air at great heights. Travellers to Tibet may suffer some discomfort like breathlessness and headaches before becoming acclimatised. As Lhasa lies at over 3680m, you are likely to experience some of the minor symptoms and discomfort of altitude sickness (headache, mild nausea, loss of appetite) until your body adjusts to the elevation. This can take from a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the individual. Take it lightly, but drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids. Proper hydration is critical.